1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates generally to components for modular conveyor belts. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to composite links for modular conveyor belts.
2. Description of Related Art
Conveyor belts are popularly used in a number of different industrial fields to provide continuous motion of goods during manufacture, shipping, and other processes. Industrial conveyor belts generally include a series of spaced apart rods connected via a series of links, which are welded or otherwise coupled to the rods. Such belts are commonly referred to as modular conveyor belts.
For the manufacture of small items, the rods may be covered with a fabric, plastic, or metal overlay, such as a mesh, to prevent the small items from slipping between the rods and falling to the manufacturing floor. Further, the structure of the links that make up modular conveyor belts varies.
Generally, conveyor belts and links are formed of either metal or plastic. Metal conveyor belt links typically have excellent strength properties, but exhibit wear at surfaces where the links contact the rods. On the other hand, plastic conveyor belt links are typically resistant to wear at contact surfaces, but are sometimes less strong than metal belts commonly resulting in failure due to fatigue and/or excess loading.
Generally, although metal and plastic belts typically differ as to the mode of failure, comparable metal and plastic belts commonly have similar longevity. That is, metal belts commonly last as long as a plastic belt configured for similar duty, however, the plastic belt will typically fail due to fatigue or an instantaneous load spike, whereas the metal belt will fail due to wear. For similarly structured plastic and metal links, a metal link may have a tensile strength that is 2-3 times that of a comparable plastic link. In addition, different portions of a turn curve conveyor belt are loaded differently, such that a material that may be well-suited for a given portion of a conveyor belt may be less well-suited for other portions of the conveyor belt.
These and other problems exist with respect to conveyor belts and/or conveyor belt links.